1. Field of the Invention
A versatile document system is provided for use in informing a consumer of charges due. More specifically, a billing statement system is disclosed for use with a billing statement comprising a plurality of sheets wherein at least one sheet is of different, generally larger, size than the other sheets, and in which the larger sheet has a first region with a provider's mailing address on one side and a customer's mailing address on the reverse side, and a second region which contains detail or summary information on the charges due. Collator and folder means are provided to handle the combination of different sized sheets.
2. Description of the Background Art
Periodic billing statements, such as those prepared in typical monthly billing operations for customers of credit card, telephone, utility and other providers, each generally include a plurality of pages, forms, or sheets of printed material which are ultimately sent to a customer in a single envelope. The billing statement must be correctly organized, collated, folded, and inserted into envelopes for mailing to customers.
Over the years, various types of forms have been patented. U.S. Pat. No. 1,946,751 discloses a bank check postcard folder. Included is a bank check with an integral statement in which a window in the statement serves to display the address of the payee.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,977,597, 4,093,117, 4,502,713, 4,585,160, and 4,706,877 all relate various types of statement mailer and return means devices.
Disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,747 is a postage and mailing information applying system. The system applies to an envelope an encrypted message based upon postage and mail address information. A high speed sorter may utilize the encrypted message for authentication purposes.
Several limited printing methods and devices exist for scanning and printing forms in variable directions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,257, for example, provides a character generator with multidirectional scan and print capability.
An important deficiency in prior art billing statement systems is the is inability to provide billing statements which contain at least one sheet or form in a plurality of sheets which is longer, wider, or otherwise differently sized and/or shaped than the other sheets of the statement. Background art billing statement systems additionally do not provide for the processing of billing statements into finished mailing pieces when one or more sheets of the billing statement is longer, shorter, or otherwise of different dimension than the remainder of the sheets. For example, background art billing statement systems do not provide means for quickly and efficiently collating billing statements comprising multiple sheets or pages having varying lengths and/or widths so that the collated sheets of the statement may subsequently be folded and inserted into envelopes. The different lengths of the individual sheets of the statement make it difficult to quickly and accurately collate the entire statement for subsequent folding and envelope insertion. Incorrect collation of the multiple sheets causes uneven folding and detracts from the overall appearance of the billing statement, which can lead to customer dissatisfaction. Incorrect collating also can cause jams or other errors in downstream folding, envelope insertion, and other processing operations, leading to system shutdown and delays while the jam is cleared.
Currently known billing statement systems additionally do not provide means for quickly and accurately folding billing statements comprising multiple sheets or pages wherein one or more sheets are of different length or width than the other sheets. A variety of folding systems and devices for billing statement preparation are known and used for high speed folding of a plurality of sheets for subsequent envelope insertion and other processing. Typically, a billing statement is folded in half or in thirds by a buckle folder or other conventional folding device to provide a folded statement suitable for insertion into standard billing envelopes. In a billing statement in which there are multi-length sheets, however, there exist complications which can prevent accurate folding. For example, in a billing statement wherein one sheet of the statement is longer than the others, when the statement has been folded once or in half, there are still an additional portion of the longer sheet or form which protrudes out from the folded packet and which must still undergo folding in order to fit into the envelope. A conventional buckle folder may be used in folding a multi-length and multi-page billing statement, however, a specifically designed folder is preferred. A standard buckle folder often folds over the protruding portion or tab of the longer, outer sheet into the folded statement packet and causes a slight folding of the tips of the shorter, inner sheets. A single long sheet is easily folded by a standard buckle folder.
Accordingly, there is a need for a billing statement system having at least one of a plurality of sheets which is differently sized and/or shaped than the other sheets, which provides means for collating the billing statement, which provides means for folding the billing statement, and which avoids processing problems due to improperly collated or folded billing statements. The present invention satisfies these needs, as well as others, and generally overcomes the deficiencies present in the background art.
The foregoing patents reflect the state of the art of which the applicant is aware and are tendered with the view toward discharging applicant's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information which may be pertinent in the examination of this application. It is respectfully submitted, however, that none of these patents teach or render obvious, singly or when considered in combination, applicant's claimed invention.